Cypher's splash art, featuring the VALORANT word art on the side.
Image via Riot Games

How to restart the VALORANT game client

The answer is exactly as simple as you think it is.

Occasionally, games will have problems with the client launching on PC, meaning that certain aspects of the game will not function or the client won’t start at all. 

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For VALORANT, and other Riot Games’ titles, client errors typically result in specific error codes that disrupt your ability to play them. This includes the simple pop-up that asks you to “restart the VALORANT game client,” which typically appears around updates dropping for the game.

Like with any game, restarting the client means you will need to exit out of VALORANT entirely. You can do this by using the Alt+F4 keyboard command or Ctrl+Alt+Del and manually ending the VALORANT session on the Task Manager. 

Most of the time, you can simply exit the client normally and it will still completely reset the game before launching it again. If closing out of the client doesn’t work, make sure your game is completely up to date, too. There could be some issue with the current version of the game you are trying to run. Outside of that, you can also try restarting your computer to see if it fixes whatever might be blocking your VALORANT or general Riot client from running properly.


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Lead Staff Writer for Dota 2, the FGC, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more who has been writing for Dot Esports since 2018. Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Oklahoma Christian University and also previously covered the NBA. You can usually find him writing, reading, or watching an FGC tournament.